Microsoft acquires Caligari 3D modeling company

With Microsoft’s bid for Yahoo still up in the air, here’s a Silicon Valley acquisition that should be a lot easier for the company to swallow. The company says it has acquired Mountain View, Calif.-based Caligari, which makes the trueSpace 3D modeling and rendering software. A Microsoft representative says Caligari’s technology will be incorporated into future versions of Microsoft Virtual Earth, but it’s too early to give specifics.

Let me tell you right away that there were no compromises I had to make to accommodate our vision within the Virtual Earth platform, in fact I was challenged to increase the scope of our vision. I talked to many people at Virtual Earth group and I am convinced that the technical team behind Virtual Earth has a significant, long-term commitment to the 3D Web.

An interesting footnote: Caligari also offers a virtual meeting place called truePlace. One reader commenting on the Virtual Earth blog asks, “Would this mean that there is a potential for Second Life type concept using Virtual Earth?” The Virtual Earth team hasn’t yet offered a response.